Beaverton, Ore.---Tektronix, Inc., a leading worldwide provider of test, measurement and monitoring instrumentation, announces the world's fastest, most capable real-time oscilloscopes and a new probe that will facilitate designs in the computing, communications, and consumer electronics industries based upon second-generation serial data standards such as second-generation PCI-Express, SATAIII and double XAUI. Tektronix is introducing new members of the TDS6000 family of digital storage oscilloscopes (DSO)---the 12 GHz TDS6124C and the record-breaking 15 GHz TDS6154C---along with the P7313 Z-Active low-loading probe. The new products offer customers uncompromised industry-leading performance for the most demanding applications.

To keep pace with the worldwide explosion of high-speed technologies, engineers are tasked with developing the next-generation systems that operate at serial data rates in excess of 4 Gb/s. This will lead to faster, more sophisticated computers, data storage networks, wired and wireless technologies, and consumer electronics. Based upon leading-edge third-generation silicon germanium (SiGe) integrated circuits developed in partnership with IBM, the new oscilloscopes offer the highest bandwidth, longest record length and timing resolution, lowest noise floor, and the most complete analysis capabilities for current and emerging serial data standards. The new Tektronix oscilloscopes and probe provide unmatched performance and productivity for engineers designing ultra-high-speed electronics.

"Industry trends are driving markets to develop ever faster and more capable technologies," said Kiran Unni, Frost & Sullivan test and measurement industry analyst. "Electrical system designers demand the very best performance and precision from their test and measurement instruments. With the highest bandwidth and the longest record length at maximum sample rate, the new TDS6124C and TDS6154C provide impressive gains and will deliver to customers the highest performance for capturing and analyzing high-speed serial data on multiple channels at long time windows and with the best timing resolution."

"Our customers have been telling us that they want high bandwidth, fast rise times, long record length, and comprehensive support for next generation serial standards," said Colin Shepard, vice president, Performance Oscilloscopes, Tektronix. "With the new oscilloscopes and probe, Tektronix has raised the benchmark for performance. The combination of new TDS6000C oscilloscopes and the Z-Active P7313 low-loading probe provides customers with uncompromised performance; the fastest, most capable, and most complete design and test instrumentation giving engineers working on high-speed serial data applications a superior solution in every way."

Oscilloscopes Provide World's Best Performance

Engineers who need to precisely characterize a signal need to acquire energy at the fifth harmonic. The TDS6154C is the only oscilloscope able to capture the fifth harmonic of the highest frequency pattern for next-generation serial standards such as 5 to 6.25 Gb/s second-generation PCI-Express, 6 Gb/s SATA III, and 6.25 Gb/s double XAUI. The TDS6154C is also the only oscilloscope able to capture the critical third harmonic of a 10 Gb/s signal.

The TDS6124C provides 12 GHz true analog bandwidth and user-selectable DSP for channel-to-channel and unit-to-unit matching. The TDS6154C also includes user-selectable DSP for channel-to-channel and unit-to-unit matching plus bandwidth extension to 15 GHz. DSP adjusts the response throughout the bandwidth of the scope to accurately reflect magnitude and corrects phase response to make it linear. The TDS6154C is able to measure rise/fall times of 30 ps (typical) with accuracy to within five percent (20/80 percent rise time).

Both the TDS6124C and TDS6154C provide 40 GS/s sample rate on two channels simultaneously and up to 64M optional record length on two channels (2M on four channels standard). This equates to the longest time window of 1.6 ms at full bandwidth and 25 ps sample interval ensuring the best resolution at full performance compared to alternative products. The TDS6000C family provides a random jitter noise floor of 420 fs rms (typical) for critical jitter measurements, lower than any competing instruments at comparable bandwidth.

"Tektronix has a reputation of offering the finest test and measurement products," said Jeff Johnson, Engineering Services project manager, Cadence Design Systems. "With these new oscilloscopes, Tektronix provides our engineers with industry-leading features and great performance at all stages of high speed IC and board-level design, validation, compliance, and debug. The latest improvements in banner specifications, as well as the broad and deep set of serial data applications provided with these new oscilloscopes, give our services teams critical capabilities for capturing and analyzing important signals to resolve tough IC and board-level high-speed design challenges.

The SiGe Z-active probing architecture of the new P7313 offers high speed (>12.5 true bandwidth, typical), high DC impedance, fast rise time (25 ps 20/80 percent), and the stable high frequency loading of Z0 probes to provide high bandwidth, flat frequency response, low-loading, and low noise differential for high-speed circuit designers. Detachable Tip-Clip Assemblies for the P7313 make it possible to replace a tip for a fraction of the cost formerly associated with such hardware changes. Moreover, the Tip-Clip Assemblies are interchangeable depending on the connectivity needs, providing a large degree of flexibility for using the probe.

The unique Pinpoint Trigger System is the world's only complete A/B triggering and provides glitch/width triggering down to 100 ps. The Pinpoint Trigger System in the TDS6000C family provides advanced serial pattern triggering up to 3.125 Gb/s in the new TDS6124C and TDS6154C. In addition, a new option provides oscilloscope 8b/10b protocol triggering and decoding with which designers can trigger on four consecutive 10b symbols or defined errors. This means that incoming data can be triggered on in real-time without post processing, enabling designers to actually trigger on a fault rather than just hoping to find it through repeated searches.

"Characterizing serial data signals with embedded clocks has historically been a significant challenge," said Galen Wampler, president, Prime Data. "Signal standards such as second-generation PCI-Express or double XAUI require instruments that can acquire these complex signals at ultra fast rates and that can be used for precise characterization. The new models in the Tektronix TDS6000C series with the 8b/10b hardware triggering and decoding provide an exemplary real-time, ultra high-bandwidth oscilloscope for the most demanding serial data applications."
Silicon Germanium at Heart

At the heart of the new TDS6000C oscilloscopes and P7313 probe are third-generation 0.18-um BiCMOS SiGe (7HP process) ASICs optimized for high-performance applications and designed in partnership with IBM. The technology offers peak performance for applications requiring high speed transfer of data, low noise, high linearity and low power consumption. IBM's SiGe technology uses a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) which includes a graded germanium profile to increase electron transfer. This high-performance material allows for high integration of functions, smaller chip size and amazing speed.

"IBM and Tektronix both have a rich heritage of technology excellence," said David Harame, director of enablement and IBM fellow, Systems and Technology Group, IBM. "The companies have worked closely for eight years to optimize silicon germanium technology for test and measurement applications. The results of this work are the highest performing ASICs in the Test & Measurement industry that appear in the TDS6124C and TDS6154C DSOs and the P7313 probe. This industry-leading technology assists customers with their efforts to be at the forefront of electronic innovation."